realpolitik
5
9.6
- noun
- /ˌrēəlˈpōlɪˌtēk/
- Formal
:
realpolitik
- In international relations, leaders often embrace realpolitik to make pragmatic choices over ideological ones.
- defensive realpolitik
- offensive realpolitik
- pure realpolitik
And so he's talking about the sort of realpolitik, you know, of ancient kingship.
- And so he's talking about the sort of realpolitik, you know, of ancient kingship.
Examples
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So one might say that a form of realism, or realpolitik, also has distant origins.
Academic text (1999) -
Perhaps maintaining the gap is what realpolitik recommends: the manipulation of language to serve the national interest.
Academic text (1994) -
Europe has become the arena of Realpolitik, the politics of reality.
-
China may well be the high church of realpolitik in the post-Cold War world.
Academic text (1996) -
As I have already described, the first was a defensive realpolitik diplomacy.
Academic text (2000) -
But it is also a result of the realpolitik mentality that characterizes the current administration.
Academic text (2003) -
For all its underpinnings in realpolitik, the strategy committed the United States to multilateralism.
Academic text (2003) -
One recent work argues that realpolitik thinking in China may have its roots in the dynastic era.
Academic text (1996) -
The first track of Turkish foreign policy has been conducted in conformity with the realpolitik of Cold War balances.
Academic text (2000) -
But such critics misunderstand India's nonalignment, as well as the nature of its realpolitik over the past 60 years.
Academic text (2006)
Synonyms
14
5.6
A practical way of solving problems that focuses on what works
1
4.2
Actions by people in government that focus on solving real problems, not ideas
A focus on practical actions that bring real results rather than ideas
Antonyms
How Practical
14
5.6
- Formal
5
9.6
8
7.3
- Formal
30
5.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
realpolitik = real + politik
The meaning is fairly guessable from English 'real' + the German 'politik' (related to 'politics'), but 'politik' is a foreign form not fully productive in English, so the compound is not completely transparent to all learners.
Etymology
Realpolitik comes from the German parts real ('real' or 'actual') and politik ('politics') and was used by leaders like Bismarck in the 1800s. So, realpolitik means doing politics by what actually works in the real world, not by moral ideas.